007 Autumn Festival (Part One)

Autumn Eve Festival: the Harvest Festival; Autumn Eve Festival: the Daughters’ Festival; Autumn Eve Festival: the Carnival… As one of the grandest celebrations of the year, the Autumn Eve Festival carries countless blessings from the Empire’s people for their nation and their families.

Theresa, dressed simply and brimming with excitement, followed behind Archil, letting him guide her as the two of them slipped through the throngs like nimble fish. Lively music filled the air, dancers swirled in spontaneous revelry nearby, and the sweet aromas of festival foods occasionally curled around their noses—every sensation seemed to brim with joy and satisfaction.

When Pedia finally caught sight of his younger brother and sister, even his usual composure softened, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

Theresa’s hand was firmly held by Archil, while the other clutched a half-eaten beef roll, her mouth smeared with rich sauce she didn’t even notice as she continued to devour it with gusto. Every now and then, she would offer the roll to Archil’s lips to share the deliciousness, all trace of her usual ladylike demeanor gone. The elaborate hairstyle her maid had arranged that morning had long since collapsed, black hair falling loosely around her face, decorated with bits of festive confetti and even a newly blossomed daisy tucked amidst the strands. Archil carried a large paper bag filled with freshly roasted nuts, skillfully cracking them open one-handed—sometimes popping them into his own mouth, sometimes feeding one to Theresa, and occasionally stretching over to steal a bite of her beef roll. He was a picture of cheerful busyness.

With a warm smile, Pedia approached them. Theresa spotted him first and called out eagerly, “Big brother, over here, over here!”

Pedia came close, brushing confetti from her hair and removing the daisy to pin it to her chest. Through it all, Theresa just giggled happily, and as soon as he was done, she thrust the beef roll toward him. “Big brother, this is delicious, you have to try it! It’s the last one, Archil fought hard to get it.”

Noble etiquette would never allow such an unseemly display—eating on the street, let alone sharing food so directly—but Pedia, ever graceful, simply bent down and took a bite. After chewing, he nodded approvingly. “Old Patch’s recipe—it’s as extraordinary as ever.”

Theresa grinned, reclaiming the roll and taking a big bite herself, eyes crinkling with delight as the savory juices and meat melted together on her tongue.

With Pedia there, Archil finally relaxed his grip on Theresa’s hand. Using both hands, he cracked nuts with renewed vigor, happily munching away. Between bites, he found time to ask, “Brother, where’s Avis? Haven’t seen him around—is he getting ready for the competition?”

“Mmm, his match is coming up in two rounds.” As Pedia replied, he shepherded them toward the solemn gates of blue stone. They had arrived at the famed Cervantes Military Academy—the official venue for the annual student dueling tournament. As one of the Empire’s most renowned military schools, Cervantes was fiercely regulated, opening its doors to the public only during the week of new student orientation and the three days of the Autumn Eve Tournament. Pedia was not about to miss the chance to show Theresa around—especially since Archil had entered the Academy just last year, a future soldier in training.

Theresa’s strongest impression of the Academy was its sheer scale—the campus sprawled over vast grounds, with towering buildings and sports facilities, roads as broad as city boulevards, and green belts that resembled small forests. Thankfully, horse-drawn carriages were provided for visitors during festival tours; otherwise, traversing the grounds on foot would have been exhausting.

“…The slate-gray building is the library, the east campus radiates from it in all directions. To the east is the main sports field, northwest is the first academic block, southwest is the science hall, and south of its greenbelt is the second teaching area. Southeast lies the main gate, north between the sports field and the academic block is the dormitory, and west between the academic block and science hall is the training ground. Right now, we’re circling past the second teaching area…” Pedia’s voice was rough with adolescence, but his measured pace of speech lent it a unique charm. At first, Theresa darted her gaze about with excitement, but gradually her attention settled on Pedia’s explanations, her emerald eyes sparkling with interest, only occasionally glancing toward the carriage driver.

Catching the sight of the driver’s flushed cheeks, Theresa blinked and sidled up to Archil, whispering quietly, “Archil, why is this classmate so excited?”

Archil grinned, leaning in to whisper back, “He’s a fan of our big brother, of course.”

Theresa raised her brows and whispered, “Is big brother really that famous? He has a lot of admirers?”

“His honor guard is spread across every department,” Archil replied proudly, as if basking in the admiration himself.

“Really? How many are there? And what does an honor guard do?” Theresa’s curiosity burned brightly.

“Easily eight or ten thousand,” Archil said with a sly wink. “If there’s trouble, they handle it; if there’s hardship, they shoulder it; if there’s—ouch! Big brother, why’d you have to hit me?”

Mid-sentence, Archil yelped and ducked away, pressing himself against the far side of the carriage to escape Pedia’s reach. His pained expression made Theresa glance at Pedia, whose calm, composed face seemed to say, “Reflect on your own behavior.” Theresa instinctively shrank back and fell silent.

Archil massaged his head with a surge of energy. As soon as the pain faded, he forgot all about it and sidled up to Theresa to resume his gossip. “It’s not just big brother. Avis has a pretty impressive honor guard too. Famous people always have to deal with all sorts of trouble.”

Archil’s head bobbed with mock solemnity, making Theresa’s fingers itch until she jabbed him in the cheek.

“Besides big brother and Avis, who else? How about you—do you have an honor guard?” she teased.

“Hey, don’t underestimate your brother Archil,” he said, slinging an arm around her shoulders in a display of camaraderie, his grin a little foolish. “I’ve only been here a year, but I’m already a bit of a sensation. My honor guard might not match big brother’s or Avis’s, but it’s not far behind!”

“Show-off,” Theresa retorted, pinching his cheeks with both hands until the handsome youth’s face was thoroughly squished. Archil fought back by tickling her, and the two of them played gleefully in the cramped space of the open carriage.

Pedia observed them in silence, making no move to intervene, simply supporting his chin as the carriage rolled onward through the golden afternoon.